All the Dear Little Animals

I never expected to like, let alone be charmed and delighted by, a book for children about death. But, All the Dear Little Animals has won my heart! This story is so lightly, sweetly, humorously told; and so true and calming and hopeful. It is, really, everything that any of us would want in a children’s story. It just happens to be about death.

On a rather boring summer’s day, so the book goes, three children decide they’ll start a business called Funerals Ltd., to help bury the poor dead animals of the world. Esther did the digging, the author wrote the poems for the graveside services, and Esther’s little brother, Puttie, cried. In an off-beat, playful way, these children explore the fact of death in the world and address its reality with an earnestness that at the same time is in no way morose or intellectualized. This is really just a perfect book for children about a subject we adults often find difficult to discuss.

Recommended for children ages 5 and up.

This captivating book takes us on a safe, funny and deeply meaningful adventure.- Julie Stokes OBE, Founder and Clinical Director of Winston’s Wish

The best book I have seen perhaps in years. I just love it. Kate de Goldi, NZ National Radio